A CUSG Legislative Council applauds the passage of a resolution. (Nigel Amstock/CU Independent file)
University of Colorado Student Government (CUSG) will cease to work out of its University Memorial Center office and will instead hold meetings and events online for the remainder of the semester as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and campus soft closure.
“We have been having to adjust a lot of our daily procedures,” said CUSG Chief of Staff Jessie Bixler.
Legislative council meetings will be held at 7 p.m. on Thursdays over Zoom. These meetings are open to the public and an updated link will be provided weekly on the CUSG website. All attendees will be muted upon entering the meeting with Legislative Council President Sarah Altshuler in charge of unmuting as she sees necessary.
CUSG elections are planned to continue, with voting beginning Monday, April 6 and closing Thursday, April 9. However, the candidate debate and town hall has been canceled. The infraction and tribunal process for elections has not been finalized but will be by the end of the week.
According to Bixler, most campaigns have turned to social media to raise awareness, adding that CUSG is urging equitable practices from candidates.
“We made a very strong recommendation for them to limit the money they are spending on promoting to make it equitable for all the people running,” Bixler said.
While student organizations will still receive funding to cover operational costs, the Student Organization Allocation Board has placed a hold on all large events and travel funding until further notice. The board is only meeting if a funding request for basic running costs is made.
Bixler made clear that the administration is still looking to work with students and university officials despite being remote. She pointed to CU Boulder’s recent decision to allow students a “Pass/Fail” option for most classes as something generated by the community.
“The whole pass/fail campaign was brought by students,” Bixler said. “We meet with the administration on a very consistent basis.”
With financial stress bearing down on those with cut hours or lost jobs, CUSG is advising students experiencing issues with food insecurity to apply through CU Boulder’s food assistance program as well as to explore community food share programs within the Boulder area.
Students with questions or concerns are asked to contact executives Ryan Passas and Michael Martin.
Contact CU Independent Senior News Editor Tory Lysik at tory.lysik@colorado.edu.
